Woman
by MinervaDeannaBond
Summary: Seth has long called Jessica "woman," for deeper reasons than anyone could ever know.


We all know that Seth calls Jessica _woman... _but why? He tells us himself in this ficlet.

I owe three debts for this story. First, to Flammentanz, whose "Woman" Tumblr post about Jess and Seth was the main inspiration. Second, to Angela Lansbury for her words of wisdom (quoted below). Third and final, to Billy Joel's beautiful song "She's Always a Woman," which captures every man's view of the woman he loves. Thank you all, so much.

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><p><em>Every laugh line is a tale, each wrinkle holds a secret... the woman who tries to deny the changes time has wrought is not trusting that her natural qualities will shine through. - Angela Lansbury<em>

_Woman._

For as long as I can recall, that's what I've called Jessica, no matter my mood. Happy, sad, or just plain testy, I've called her that, and she's never once complained about it. But it's only in the last few years that I've started to realize how significant that word really is with her. So many people look at her and only see J.B. Fletcher, the great mystery writer. Others too darn ignorant to see past the ends of their noses take one look at her and see an old woman. They don't see the real Jessica Fletcher, the woman behind the books, the glitz, and the glamor. Ayuh, I'll come right out and say that Jessica's career is writing and teaching. That's her life. But those are secondary to me. To me, she's first and always a woman.

I could kick the ones who call her old. Why, Jess has more spirit than most twenty-year-olds I know. She can run circles around them any old day. And she sure as heck doesn't look her age. Sure, there's a few lines here and there, but that's normal, and she knows it. Jess takes good care of herself, but she's always saying that it's important to accept the physical changes that come with getting older. I've also heard her say that laugh lines are tales and wrinkles hold secrets. And Jess has her share of secrets and stories.

Those smile lines around her eyes tell me she's lived a happy life. There's no doubt in my mind that Jessica was a happy baby and a sunshiny little girl, and she's been nothing but sunshine ever since the day I met her. Even when she's hurting, that smile will still shine bright as day. Frank made her happy in her marriage, Grady made her happy when she raised him, and her career's made her happy for the last thirty years. And I'm not trying to blow smoke up my own butt here, but I hope I've made Jessica happy for a long time. Far be it from me to say I've added more lines to her face, but I hope it's in a good way.

I've also noticed some laugh lines at the corners of her mouth. Hard for me to say what I love most about Jess, but her laugh is definitely up there on the list. Girly giggles and deep, sexy chuckles, she's got it all in one burst of laughter. She's had a lot of sadness and hardship to survive, the least of it being murder and mystery, but she's also had a lot of joy in her life. Critical acclaim for her novels, a good living from the writing she does, a professorship in New York, and more family and friends than you can shake a stick at. Those lines tell me about the publication of her first book, of Grady's wedding, Mort's arrival in Cabot Cove, and many a joke shared over a good dinner or a game of chess. She's never stopped laughing, and I pray to God she never will.

Most women go outhouse crazy when they see the onset of the first few wrinkles. Jess? She couldn't care less. If hers hold secrets, I have an idea of what they may be. All the times she's been ashamed of losing her temper. Stressful moments when she's nearly been stumped in solving murders. And that's just the surface. I've looked deeper, and I can tell they hide precious secrets, too. The lines on her hands, all the hugs she's given over the years, the children she's cradled, the words she's written. A few on her belly, the wishes and prayers for babies that would sadly never come. More scattered here and there on her body, intimate moments with Frank... and with me.

It's been eleven years since Jess and I finally said _I do_, and even after all that time, all the times we've explored each other's bodies, we still find hidden nooks and crannies, new territory that hasn't yet been charted. I know the curves of her hips, the softness of her skin, the taste of every kiss. I've traced and kissed every line, and I still wake up craving more. She's even more beautiful to me because of the changes time has made in her. Beautiful wife, beautiful woman. _My _woman. My Jessica, always fiery, always joyful, always a woman to me.


End file.
